Is space worth the cost? Accounting experts say its value can’t be found in spreadsheets

By Basil Tucker

Since the early days of human space exploration, the endeavour has been haunted by a very good question: why spend so much on space when there are so many urgent problems here on Earth? Its a valid concern, and one that...

The ghost of Robodebt – Federal Court rules billions of dollars in welfare debts must be recalculated

By Christopher Rudge

A recent landmark court decision could have significant ramifications for several million social security recipients. The ruling means the federal government will need to recalculate more than A$4 billion in debts owed to...

Want to save yourself from super scams and dodgy financial advice? Ask these questions

By Angelique Nadia Sweetman McInnes

Is there anything you can do to protect your superannuation from dodgy providers or questionable financial advice? And if someone rings you out of the blue and tempts you with a better return on your savings what should...

How Marvel’s Fantastic Four discovered the human in the superhuman

By J. Andrew Deman

The Fantastic Four: First Steps is the second cinematic reboot of the Fantastic Four franchise, and theres a lot riding on this film. While cinema-goers have responded enthusiastically to many of the films in the Marvel...

There’s enough natural hydrogen in the Earth’s crust to help power the green energy transition

By Barbara Sherwood Lollar Et Al

Since their formation billions of years ago, the oldest parts of the Earths continental rocks have generated natural hydrogen in massive amounts. Some of this hydrogen may have accumulated within accessible traps and...

AI will soon be able to audit all published research – what will that mean for public trust in science?

By Alexander Kaurov Et Al

Self-correction is fundamental to science. One of its most important forms is peer review, when anonymous experts scrutinise research before it is published. This helps safeguard the accuracy of the written record. Yet...

How the world’s nuclear watchdog monitors facilities around the world – and what it means that Iran kicked it out

By Anna Erickson

This travel case holds a toolkit containing equipment for inspecting nuclear facilities. Dean Calma/IAEA, CC BY What happens when a country seeks to develop a peaceful nuclear energy program? Every peaceful program starts...

Big Beautiful Bill: Why Donald Trump is obsessed with the manipulative language of size

By Andy Curtis

Small is Beautiful: A Study of Economics as if People Mattered is the title of the highly influential 1973 book written by the German-born British economist E.F. Schumacher. The book marked its 50th anniversary in 2023,...

American science is in crisis. It’s a great opportunity for Australia to snap up top scientists

By Kylie Walker

Science in the United States in in trouble. The National Science Foundation, a key research funding agency, has suffered devastating funding cuts under the current administration. Critics say the cuts risk losing an entire...

Some young people sexually abuse. Here’s how to reduce reoffending by up to 90%

By Jesse Cale Et Al

When we think about whos responsible for sexual abuse in Australia, we usually picture adults. But young people are responsible for a substantial proportion of sexual offences nationwide. Up to a third of all child sexual...

Can a pizza box go in the yellow bin – or not? An expert answers this and other messy recycling questions

By Pooria Pasbakhsh

Have you ever gone to toss something into the recycling bin a jam jar, a pizza box, a takeaway container encrusted with yesterdays lunch and wondered if youre doing it right? Perhaps you asked yourself: should I scrub...

AI is driving down the price of knowledge – universities have to rethink what they offer

By Patrick Dodd

For a long time, universities worked off a simple idea: knowledge was scarce. You paid for tuition, showed up to lectures, completed assignments and eventually earned a credential. That process did two things: it gave you...

As Netanyahu meets Trump in Washington, what hope for peace in Gaza? Expert Q&A

By Jonathan Este

The US government remains upbeat about the prospects for at least a ceasefire in Gaza, according to the latest reports from Washington, where the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has been meeting the US...

How to support someone who is grieving: five research-backed strategies

By Lucy Poxon

When someone we care about is grieving the loss of a loved one, our natural instinct is to ease their pain. But when words feel clumsy and gestures fall short, it can be hard to know how to help. Drawing on both my...

Brics is sliding towards irrelevance – the Rio summit made that clear

By Amalendu Misra

The Brics group of nations has just concluded its 17th annual summit in the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro. But, despite member states adopting a long list of commitments covering global governance, finance, health, AI...

Lost in space: MethaneSat failed just as NZ was to take over mission control – here’s what we need to know now

By Nicholas Rattenbury

This week’s announcement of the loss of a methane-detecting satellite, just days before New Zealand was meant to take over mission control, is a blow to the country’s space research sector. New Zealand invested NZ$29...

NHS ten-year plan for England: what’s in it and what’s needed to make it work

By Judith Smith

The UK government has published its eagerly awaited ten-year health plan for England, setting out how billions of pounds in NHS funding will be used to transform healthcare delivery across the country. As anticipated, the...

Conservatives notch 2 victories in their fight to deny Planned Parenthood federal funding through Medicaid

By Rachel Rebouche

Conservatives have won two important battles in their decades-long campaign against Planned Parenthood, a network of affiliated clinics that are the largest provider of reproductive health services in the U.S. One of these...

One ‘big, beautiful’ reason why Republicans in Congress just can’t quit Donald Trump

By Charlie Hunt

As the U.S. House of Representatives voted to approve President Donald Trump’s sweeping domestic tax and spending package, many critics are wondering how the president retained the loyalty of so many congressional...

Astronomers have discovered another puzzling interstellar object − this third one is big, bright and fast

By Darryl Z. Seligman

Astronomers manning an asteroid warning system caught a glimpse of a large, bright object zipping through the solar system late on July 1, 2025. The objects potentially interstellar origins excited scientists across the...

6 simple questions to tell if a ‘finfluencer’ is more flash than cash

By Dimitrios Salampasis

Images of flashy sports cars. Lavish lifestyle shots. These are just some of the red flags consumers should watch out for when they turn to social media for financial advice. Consumers should not believe everything they...

NZ will soon have no real interisland rail-ferry link – why are we so bad at infrastructure planning?

By Timothy Welch

Another week, another Cook Strait ferry breakdown. As the winter maintenance season approaches and the Aratere prepares for its final months of service, New Zealand faces a self-imposed crisis. The government has spent...

War, politics and religion shape wildlife evolution in cities

By Elizabeth Carlen

People often consider evolution to be a process that occurs in nature in the background of human society. But evolution is not separate from human beings. In fact, human cultural practices can influence evolution in...

Chatbots are on the rise, but customers still trust human agents more

By Vivek Astvansh

Customers contact companies regularly to purchase products and services, inquire about orders, make payments and request returns. Until recently, the most common way for customers to contact companies was through phone...

What makes a good football coach? The reality behind the myths

By Alan McKay

With Womens Euro 2025 underway, attention is turning not just to the players hoping for glory, but to the head coaches tasked with leading them. These include Englands Sarina Wiegman, who guided the Netherlands to Euro...

A brief history of the slogan T-shirt

By Liv Auckland

You probably have a drawer full of T-shirts. Theyre comfy, easy to style, cheap and ubiquitous. But the T-shirt is anything but basic. For 70 years, theyve been worn as a tool for self-expression, rebellion and protest....

The pandemic is still disrupting young people’s careers

By Sviatlana Kroitar

Unlike previous economic downturns, the COVID pandemic created a crisis that disrupted both education and employment, abruptly halting young peoples emerging careers and clouding their hopes for the future. It doubly...

US Supreme Court ponders the balance of power – and sides with President Trump

By John Stanton

Since his second inauguration in January, Donald Trump has issued more than 160 executive orders. These orders permit the US president to make directives concerning the workings of the federal government without the need...

A new Gaza ceasefire deal is on the table – will this time be different?

By Julie M. Norman

The US president, Donald Trump, says that Israel has agreed to terms for a 60-day ceasefire in Gaza. If that sounds familiar, it is. The idea of a two-month truce has been discussed since the collapse of the last...

What MAGA means to Americans

By Jesse Rhodes Et Al

A decade ago, Donald Trump descended the golden escalator at Trump Tower in New York City and ignited a political movement that has reshaped American politics. In a memorable turn of phrase, Trump promised supporters of...

Capitalism and democracy are weakening – reviving the idea of ‘calling’ can help to repair them

By Valerie L. Myers

Ask someone what a calling is, and theyll probably say something like doing work you love. But as a management professor who has spent two decades researching the history and impact of calling, Ive found its much more than...

Turkey is stepping up its influence in west Africa – what’s behind its bid for soft power

By Issouf Binaté

Turkey is stepping up its influence in west Africa as the geopolitical and economic landscape in the region shifts. In Senegal, the state-owned Turkish Petroleum Corporation has entered a key partnership in the oil and gas...

How Internet of Things devices affect your privacy – even when they’re not yours

By David Sella-Villa

The Internet of Things, which includes wearables, appliances and cars, is collecting an increasing amount of information about you. lupengyu/Moment via Getty Images Some unusual witnesses helped convict Alex Murdaugh of...

Supreme Court rules Trump can rapidly deport immigrants to Libya, South Sudan and other countries they aren’t from

By Eleanor Paynter

Internally displaced people walk along a street in Juba, South Sudan, on Feb. 13, 2025. Brian Inganga/AP Photos For the past several months, the Trump administration has been trying to deport immigrants to countries they...

Charitable giving grew to $593B in 2024, propelled by a strengthening US economy and a booming stock market

By Jon Bergdoll Et Al

Paul Newman, the late actor and philanthropist, co-founded Camp Boggy Creek, which children with serious illnesses and their families attend for free. AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack U.S. charitable giving increased 3.3% to...

Iran and Israel agree to a fragile ceasefire. One factor could be crucial to it sticking

By Ali Mamouri

Amir Levy/Getty Images After 12 days of war, US President Donald Trump has announced a ceasefire between Israel and Iran that would bring to an end the most dramatic, direct conflict between the two nations in decades....

The war won’t end Iran’s nuclear program – it will drive it underground, following North Korea’s model

By Anthony Burke

The United States and Israels strikes on Iran are concerning, and not just for the questionable legal justifications provided by both governments. Even if their attacks cause severe damage to Irans nuclear facilities, this...

Why have so few atrocities ever been recognised as genocide?

By James Sweeney

An intense argument is raging over whether what has been happening in Gaza since October 2023 is an act of genocide. It is the subject of a case being heard in the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in which South Africa...

The American mass exodus to Canada amid Trump 2.0 has yet to materialize

By Lori Wilkinson

In February 2025, the New Republic, reported there were a growing number of Americans who wanted to leave the country following the election of Donald Trump. Canadian reports backed up the assertion, particularly the news...

Nato faces a make-or-break decision about how to protect Europe and its future in next few weeks

By Amelia Hadfield

Nato is facing a pivotal moment in its history. Ahead of its June 24-25 summit in The Hague, Nato is weighing up whether it can truly continue to count on US support (and membership), whether it will become a European-only...

Mohamed Lakhdar-Hamina put African cinema on the map with his bold, political films about Algeria

By Nabil Boudraa

Legendary Algerian film-maker Mohamed Lakhdar-Hamina has passed away at the age of 91. He is most commonly remembered as the first (and only) African to win the coveted Palme dOr prize at the Cannes Film Festival for his...

Why are the US and Israel not on the same page over how to deal with Iran? Expert Q&A

By Scott Lucas

The US president, Donald Trump, claimed on May 28 to have personally stopped Israel from attacking Irans nuclear facilities. When asked if hed intervened during a phone call with the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin...

Rise of the Zombie Bugs takes readers on a jaw-dropping tour of the parasite world

By Alex Dittrich

Rise of the Zombie Bugs, by Mindy Weisberger, is a non-fiction book that borrows from popular culture to make one of the most complex and grisly interactions in the animal kingdom accessible to the reader. From fungi and...

Champions League final 2025: a battle for glory against a backdrop of money and fashion

By Simon Chadwick Et Al

The 2025 mens Champions League final will end in triumph for either Paris Saint-Germain or Inter Milan. And whichever side wins, Uefa will no doubt claim that the tournaments new format, involving more teams, more games...

Pulp are back and more wistfully Britpop than before

By Mark RJ Higgins

Ah, the 90s. A decade when the future seemed bright, technological modernity was pregnant with promise, and Britannia was revelling in a rediscovered sense of cool. The pop-culture emblem of this was Britpop. After the...

Trump’s white genocide claims about South Africa have deep roots in American history

By Alex Hinton

President Donald Trump shows printed news articles during a meeting with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa at the White House on May 21, 2025. Demetrius Freeman/The Washington Post via Getty Images President Donald...

Beyond the backlash: What evidence shows about the economic impact of DEI

By Rodney Coates

Few issues in the U.S. today are as controversial as diversity, equity and inclusion commonly referred to as DEI. Although the term didnt come into common usage until the 21st century, DEI is best understood as the latest...

The rise and fall – and rise again – of white-tailed deer

By Elic Weitzel

Given their abundance in American backyards, gardens and highway corridors these days, it may be surprising to learn that white-tailed deer were nearly extinct about a century ago. While they currently number somewhere in...

Weaponized storytelling: How AI is helping researchers sniff out disinformation campaigns

By Mark Finlayson Et Al

It is not often that cold, hard facts determine what people care most about and what they believe. Instead, it is the power and familiarity of a well-told story that reigns supreme. Whether its a heartfelt anecdote, a...

There’s no evidence work requirements for Medicaid recipients will boost employment, but they are a key piece of Republican spending bill

By Colin Gordon

Republicans in the U.S. Senate are sparring over their version of the multitrillion-dollar budget and immigration bill the House of Representatives passed on May 22, 2025. Some GOP senators are insisting on shrinking the...